


Clear Skies

by Quickspinner



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fluff, Honeymoon, Implied Sexual Content, Luka Couffaine Loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickspinner/pseuds/Quickspinner
Summary: Luka and Marinette have faced down their share of storms over the years. Their honeymoon is a break they badly need, and the calm gives them a chance to just enjoy being together, and reflect on how far they've come.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 24
Kudos: 93





	Clear Skies

**Author's Note:**

> This story *is* set during their honeymoon so there is plenty of innuendo and implied sexy stuff and maybe I waited slightly longer than usual before the fade to black, but there's nothing really explicit. If you don't care for it, once the makeout starts you can skip down to the section break.

“Luka.” Marinette frowned slightly, head turning as they passed their favorite beach bar, The Cove, its porch overflowing with brightly colored flowers that Marinette had spent a lot of time sketching in the past few days. “Where are we going?” she asked, with one longing look back at the Cove’s purple roof. She’d been hoping for the Cove’s breakfast special, but apparently Luka had other plans.

Plans he wasn’t going to share with her, as a sly smile curled his mouth and he said simply, “You’ll see.”

Marinette pouted, but leaned into him, wrapping her other arm around his and resting her cheek on his shoulder. Luka bent down and kissed the top of her head, and her pout pulled into a smile almost against her will. It was hard to be put out when she was on her honeymoon with her gorgeous, newly-minted doting husband, and whatever surprise he had in mind was bound to be wonderful.

She kept turning possibilities over in her mind as they passed possible destination after possible destination. Marinette noticed the corner of Luka’s mouth twitching and knew he knew she was guessing and that she was also completely lost. She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned. 

Finally, Luka stopped and took her hands. “Do something for me?”

Marinette looked up at him. “Hm?”

“Close your eyes.” 

Marinette’s eyebrows went up and she cocked her head, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why?”

“Because you trust me and I asked you to,” Luka grinned, squeezing her hands and leaning in to rub his nose lightly against hers. “Please?” 

Marinette sighed, and closed her eyes. She felt Luka’s lips press hers lightly in reward. “Thank you.” He moved behind her, setting his hands on her shoulders. “This way.” 

Marinette walked, responding to the pressure on her shoulders as Luka guided her. 

“Step up,” he warned, and Marinette did, suddenly feeling wood under her sandaled feet instead of sand. The hollow sound as they walked made her think they were on a bridge or a pier. 

Luka stopped her and then turned her slightly, reaching up to cover her eyes with his own hands. “Ready?”

“Of course I’m ready,” she said dryly, blinking behind his hands. “Are you going to keep me waiting forever?”

Luka’s deep chuckle in her ear made the brush of his lips against her neck all the more electrifying. “You’re so impatient.” 

Marinette folded her arms and pouted for real this time, and Luka laughed. “All right, all right.” He took his hands from her eyes, and Marinette blinked in the bright light reflecting off the shiny white paneling in front of her, and then blinked again in surprise.

“It’s...a boat?” she said blankly.

“It’s a boat,” Luka confirmed behind her, and when she looked up at him his face was shining with happiness. “Isn’t she beautiful? I’ve been scouting for days to find the right one.”

A cold tendril of fear curled in her stomach. “Luka, please tell me you didn’t buy a boat.” She knew her new husband was impulsive, but boats were so expensive, surely he wouldn’t have—and what would they do with a boat? A _sailboat_ , at that. The Seine was—and how would they even get the boat back from Hawaii? They’d just picked out their apartment! They were all moved in! How was she supposed to—

Luka interrupted her panic with an incredulous laugh and a kiss to her cheek. “Of course not. I’d never make a decision like that without you. I rented her. She’s ours for the next three days.” 

“But,” Marinette looked up at him. “The hotel—” 

Luka shrugged. “We can go back to the hotel for the night if you want. I just thought you might—I mean,” he paused, running his fingers through his hair, and Marinette realized he was getting nervous. “We don’t have to even use it, if we don’t want to, but I thought—the seas and the skies are so beautiful here, and I thought maybe I could show you…but if it’s just going to make you anxious, then we don’t have to.”

Marinette stared at him for a moment, and he fidgeted, waiting for her decision. Patiently, of course. He was always patient. It was clear that this was important to him, though, and he’d be terribly disappointed if she shot him down. 

Luka had tried so hard to make sure she’d be able to relax while they were away. Of course, the Miracle Box stayed with them at all times, but Tikki and the other kwamis were sealed inside, ensuring that she and Luka had complete privacy and a vacation from superhero duties during their honeymoon. They had a burner phone so that Chat could text in case of an emergency, though emergencies requiring Ladybug were few and far between these days.

Luka had agreed to all of this for Marinette’s peace of mind, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to relax without assurance that her responsibilities were taken care of. He had let her plan and overplan for every contingency, and once the necessities were settled, had gently taken the rest of the trip out of her hands, knowing that given the chance, Marinette would plan every minute of their days. Instead, Luka kept their schedule open, presenting her each morning with a few options for things they could do that day, while leaving them plenty of time for lazy mornings and late nights during which Luka ensured she wasn’t thinking about anything outside of their room. 

And now he had something he wanted to share with her, for once asking for something _he_ wanted to do, and she was balking. Suddenly she felt terrible. 

Marinette made up her mind in an instant, flashing a smile up at Luka and putting her arms around his neck. She could see in his face that he wasn’t convinced—he had always seen her, and she couldn’t lie to him. “I don’t really understand,” she told him honestly. “I’m a little nervous, but I trust you, so let’s just do it.” Luka grinned at those words and put his arms around her waist. She cupped his cheek in her palm. “This is your honeymoon too. We should do things that you want to do.”

He looked away and smiled, tongue wetting his lips before he leaned in to say, “We’ve done plenty of things I wanted to do.” Marinette shoved his face away and he pulled her into a hug, chuckling. “You’ll tell me if you don’t like it?” he asked, voice low. 

Marinette smiled. “You’d know,” she said, thumb stroking his lower lip. “Even if I didn’t tell you. You always know. But I promise.” She drew him down and kissed him softly, slowly, the way he liked, and he sighed when she pulled back, his hand coming up to catch hers as it slid from his cheek.

“Okay,” he said, smiling, some of his enthusiasm returning. “Come on then, let me show you around.” 

“It looks awfully big,” Marinette commented as Luka helped her aboard. It felt a little cramped and narrow, and yet huge and heavy at the same time. “You’re sure you can sail this by yourself?”

“I’m not by myself,” Luka said cheerfully. “I’ve got you.”

Marinette whined. “That’s not helping my confidence, Luka.”

“Relax, Marinette,” he laughed. “Yes, I can sail single-handed, and I wasn’t entirely kidding. It _will_ be easier with you to hold the wheel steady when I need to work the sails. Besides this thing can practically sail herself. She’s got all the modern conveniences. And before you ask, she’s got an engine so we can’t get stuck.” He grinned at Marinette and she stuck her tongue out at him. “I can’t believe you thought I bought this,” Luka chuckled to himself. “When I’m as famous as Jagged, I might be able to afford it. Look at this, this is teak decking back here on the swim platform.” He pointed it out, and then pulled the—Marinette wanted to call it a tailgate, honestly, but she was sure that wasn’t right—up behind them and latched it to close off the back of the boat. He turned her around and pointed to a bunch of dials around the steering wheel. “It’s got a full GPS and electronic charts, throttle for the motor, and a compass of course.” He tapped each of them as he spoke, and then grinned at her with a wink. “And a queen-sized bed in the berth below. I’m not going to brag about the galley, it’s going to be too small for your tastes, but just trust me when I say it’s really nice for a boat this size. Before you ask, it has a fully functional bathroom with a shower.” 

Marinette covered a smile as he rambled on about the features and amenities of the boat, moving the whole time in the narrow space. It was surprisingly easy to forget that the Couffaines were a sailing family, since they spent so much time anchored in the Seine, but Anarka came from a long line of Scottish sailors and her love of the water had not diminished even when she traded the turbulent seas of her homeland for the calm waters of the Seine. “Just please don’t tell my mom I got one with a wheel instead of a tiller,” Luka sighed, rolling his eyes. “She’ll never let up on me about it.” Marinette giggled and he grinned.

When the tour was over, he sat her down on one of the benches forward of the cockpit, and went to work rigging the sails. There wasn’t much for her to do besides watch him work, but that in itself was...kind of amazing. He was just so...capable. Sure. Confident. Able to see what needed doing, and do it, effortlessly handling what was just a jumble of ropes and cloth and moving parts to Marinette. She couldn’t help the fond smile that was growing on her face as she watched him. Some people scoffed at Luka’s easy-going nature. They thought because he was quiet that he was easily swayed; that because he was deliberate and gentle, he lacked drive or ambition. 

But they were wrong. It was true, Luka didn’t fire up easily, but he burned slow and steady. There was so much passion in everything he did. His energy might be different from hers, which came in flashes and bursts and bright moments, but it was just as strong, and usually a lot more focused. 

Luka paused as he passed her, one hand going to her hip as he leaned in and kissed her. Marinette caught the collar of his open shirt and tugged him back, and he obliged her with a deeper, slower kiss. He squeezed her hip, left one more kiss on her nose, and went to start up the engine to get them out of the harbor. 

When they were clear, Luka pulled her up in front of him and let her get the feel of the wheel as they steered. When he was confident she could hold them steady, he left her at the wheel and moved up onto the foredeck to raise the sail. Marinette gripped the wheel tight, simultaneously thrilled and frightened by the feel of the ocean pushing against the rudder, trying to keep straight on the compass like he’d shown her, and watched Luka with anxious eyes. 

Once the sails were up, Marinette relinquished her place to him and Luka killed the engine. She watched with fascination the focus and concentration in his face as he steered with one hand and handled the rope (the _main sheet_ , he called it, and part of her was annoyed because who knew a _sheet_ would be a rope and not a sail, and if he’d _told_ her about this whole adventure she could have researched it so as not to look like an idiot) with the other, until the sails filled and the boat sliced through the water, listing slightly with the wind. Luka grinned as Marinette lost her balance and grabbed onto him. 

“Careful,” he murmured, rock steady as ever, and apparently unbothered by her grip on his arm. “It’s a little different than the Liberty.”

“I’ll say,” Marinette breathed, scrunching up close to him as the wind whipped past them. It kind of reminded her of swinging between buildings in Paris, except it smelled a lot better. 

She didn’t let go of Luka, but moved a little behind him, adjusting her hold to around his waist, and laying her cheek on his shoulder. A familiar peace filled her as she pressed against his strong back. Luka turned his head and nuzzled her temple briefly

“Okay so far?” he asked, and she nodded. He grinned and turned his attention back to the steering. “There’s food below,” he commented, and Marinette realized with a start that she was still hungry. “I didn’t want us to eat much beforehand in case you got seasick, but if you’re feeling okay, you could go grab us some breakfast.” 

“I feel fine.” Marinette rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I bet you’re hungry too.”

“Yeah,” Luka admitted with a sheepish grin. He’d been ravenous ever since they arrived. He claimed he always got that way by the ocean, and seeing how much work he’d done this morning, Marinette supposed it made sense. She made her way carefully across the deck and down into the cabin. 

She paused to peek in the storage cabinets, unsurprised to find Luka’s guitar case carefully wedged and padded in one. In another, she found the miracle box, and breathed a sigh of relief, releasing some tension in her shoulders she hadn’t known she was carrying. Her husband was a sly bastard, she noted, opening the tiny closet to survey the clothes he’d packed. When had he even had time to do all this? She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, as she surveyed a selection of swimsuits and lingerie that was surely more than they would need for this little trip. 

Well. It was their honeymoon. She couldn’t blame him for picking out his favorites, and there were some sensible clothes in there as well. Although—she frowned, picking up one of the lingerie sets. Damn it, he wasn’t supposed to know about that one yet. “Sass, you rat,” she muttered, putting it back and closing the closet. “Should’ve known you couldn’t keep a secret.” 

The galley did look really small to her, but it was kind of nice that she could reach everything without moving. The gimbal stove made her giggle as it swayed to stay flat despite the motion of the boat. The refrigerator was set into the counter and opened more like a chest freezer, but when she dug around in it, she found it was pretty well stocked. She poked through more carefully, assessing her options. She snorted when she saw the fruit had been pre-sliced. Apparently, Luka was taking no chances. She wondered how much this whole expedition had cost, and immediately put the question out of her mind. It was important to Luka, so the money didn’t matter. He must have felt it was worth it, so she wouldn’t think about it.

She carefully assembled a plate of fruit and lunch meats that she didn’t think they’d have too much trouble eating with fingers while under sail, and went back up on deck. Seated behind the wheel at the back of the cockpit, Luka looked absolutely blissful, the wind whipping his hair and the sun on his face, his smile small but contented. He turned just as she came up the stairs, scanning behind them before facing forward again. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but his smile widened when he saw her. 

“So,” she teased, squeezing in next to him and offering him a piece of fruit from her fingers. “Are you taking me to the edge of the earth?” 

Luka laughed and waved his hand at the horizon. “Baby, we’re already there.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes, not that he could see them behind her own shades, and popped a strawberry between her lips, watching the bob of his throat with satisfaction as he swallowed and looked quickly away from her. “I called in some favors—” he began, and Marinette raised her eyebrows at that, but the Couffaines had contacts everywhere, it seemed. “—and found us a tiny little island out here that has just enough of a bay to anchor in. It’s privately owned and I was promised it’ll be completely deserted while we’re there. The island itself isn’t very appealing for anything we’d want to do, but the bay will give us a calm place to anchor up and just...do whatever we feel like. The weather’s supposed to be amazing for the next few days, so I thought we’d stay tonight and tomorrow and sail back the day after. It should be great for swimming, and I brought snorkel gear for us.” Marinette brightened. They’d done a bit of snorkeling already and she’d loved it. Luka grinned. “Thought you’d like that.” 

Marinette fed him a bit of pineapple and kissed his cheek. “I love you.” 

Luka smiled warmly at her. “I love you too.” He checked the GPS, and modified their course slightly. Marinette leaned back to stay out of his way as he picked up the main sheet again and adjusted the sails. He glanced behind them again, and then settled back onto his seat—more of a perch, really, he was practically sitting on the side of the boat, but she supposed that must be normal. He looked comfortable enough there, anyway.

They sailed on, munching through their food, Marinette feeding Luka from her fingers though he didn’t seem like he was too busy to feed himself. They were both enjoying it and some of the fruit was messy, anyway. Marinette had just licked a trailing bit of juice off the heel of her hand, and popped one sticky finger in her mouth when she glanced up and realized Luka was smirking to himself. 

Her eyes narrowed. “What are you looking so smug about?” she asked suspiciously, and the smirk only grew when he looked at her.

“Ask me when I’m not driving,” he told her, his voice deepening to a register that sent a shiver through her.

“Shameless,” she huffed, and Luka grinned as he checked the GPS again.

“What have I got to be ashamed about?” he asked easily. “I’m not ashamed of anything we’ve done since we got here.” He paused. “Well. Maybe the hot tub. That was taking things a bit far.” Marinette blushed deep red at the memory and he grinned. “Only a little bit though. It was worth it for the way you jumped me when we got back to the room. If you think I’m going to be ashamed of myself for spoiling my wife on our honeymoon, I don’t know what to tell you. Besides—” He stopped, and looked away for a moment.

Marinette frowned. “What?”

Luka shook his head slightly. “I’m going to upset you if I say this wrong, and that’s the last thing I want to do.” 

“Then take your time, and say it right,” Marinette told him, rubbing her hand along his shoulder. 

She kept rubbing as Luka mulled over what he wanted to say, his shoulder tense under her hand from more than managing the boat. Finally he took a deep breath. 

“You...have a lot of demands on your time,” he said cautiously. “And that’s fine. I’ve always known you weren’t somebody who could ever belong to any one person. You give a little piece of yourself to everybody you meet, and I love that about you. You have a huge heart, and you’re creative and driven and I know that I can’t be your focus 100% of the time. I’m fine with that. I love that, even.”

“But?” Marinette prompted. 

Luka shrugged slightly, a flush creeping up his neck. “It’s nice to have you all to myself for so long a time. I love every moment that we spend together, but the times when you can be really focused on me and just be in the moment with me, those are...really nice. I have two whole weeks where I don’t have to share you with anybody or anything, and I plan on enjoying it.” He actually blushed a little bit. “Not—not like that. I mean, some like that, but not _just_ like that. I just...I’m enjoying being together, and not having to worry about anything in the world except making sure you’re as blissed out and relaxed as can possibly be. Especially after all the stress leading up to the wedding.” He shrugged again, the blush darkening. “So yeah, maybe I’ve been feeling like I get to be a little bit selfish this week.” 

That explained some things. Not that she’d been surprised at the amount of thought and care he’d put into the trip. Luka was definitely a “don’t sweat the small stuff” kind of guy, but it was clear that this vacation was not “small stuff” to him. And since they’d been here, Luka had been—not selfish, never that, he was always a very generous lover, but more vocal about asking for what _he_ wanted. Marinette liked it, actually, loved having Luka murmur his desires in that low, growling voice— 

“Marinette.” 

She blinked, and Luka grinned at her, clearly amused. “Hold whatever thought that was,” he told her. “It’s not fair for you to have that look on your face when I’m too busy to do anything about it.” 

Marinette turned cherry red and huffed, turning away from him. Luka diverted his attention back to the boat before he could get any more distracted by her. It made sense, he supposed, given the level of hedonism they’d been indulging in since they arrived, that it was easy for his mind to wander. He wasn’t particularly sorry. It was their honeymoon, after all, and with all they’d been through, a little indulgence was due. 

A part of him wished they could stay here forever. That he could be this selfish forever, sail away to some tiny island where they could live on fruit, be free of responsibilities and commitments, and just stay wrapped up in each other forever. 

“So, now what?” Marinette asked, and he glanced at her. She was fidgeting a bit, her fingers toying with the last bit of fruit. Luka caught her hand and pulled it to his mouth, enjoying her indignant squeak as he snagged the fruit in his teeth. He ignored her scolding as he ate the sweet treat and then locked eyes with her as he playfully licked her fingers clean. She was back to that fetching shade of red by the time he finished. 

“Now you relax, and do whatever you feel like, and enjoy the trip,” Luka told her, grinning when she shoved his shoulder and pretended to pout. “It’ll be afternoon by the time we get where we’re going. I packed that book you had on the bedside table, and your art supplies. Probably should leave the sewing stuff alone while we’re underway, but your knitting is down there, and your bag of samples. You could even go below and take a nap. Whatever you feel like.” 

Marinette brightened and hummed thoughtfully, tapping her lips as she considered her options, and Luka smiled to himself. As appealing as it sounded to just whisk her away, to sail into the sunset and never come back again, Marinette wasn’t made for solitude and selfish idleness. Neither, at his heart, was Luka; they were both too attached to their lives, and the people in them, to ever really give them up. No, they would have to go back, and that was okay. Luka was content with what Marinette could give him. It was enough that she chose him to be her home. 

That didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy this time while he had it.

Marinette seemed to make a decision, straightening from where she’d been leaning on him. She pressed a kiss to his lips, and made her careful way to the cabin. “Sunscreen,” he reminded her, and she waved a hand to let him know she heard. It would really ruin their trip if she burned to a crisp because she forgot to reapply. Luka was used to it from life on the Liberty and slathered the stuff on almost out of habit at this point, but it was one of those little things—like eating and sleeping and hydrating—that Marinette occasionally needed a reminder for.

Luka sighed a little; he was honestly still hungry, but he couldn’t very well cook anything himself at the moment, and he didn’t care to risk his new wife, whose mind was almost never entirely on what she was doing, in the galley until they’d found a calm place to anchor and he was sure she’d gotten her sea legs. He stifled a chuckle when she came barreling back up the stairs, only to pitch sideways onto one of the benches. She recovered quickly, though, pulling herself onto the bench like she meant to do it all along and scooting herself into the corner opposite of him. She tucked earbuds into her ears and dumped a small, simple knitting project in her lap. She gave him a blinding smile and blew him a kiss. He sent one back to her as she put her feet up, her shoulders lowering just the slightest bit. Luka watched in satisfaction as she let out a deep sigh, twined the yarn around her fingers, and curled her lips in a small, contented smile.

Smiling himself, pleased beyond measure to see her so at ease, Luka checked the GPS to make sure he was still on course, and settled onto his own seat. 

People just...didn’t get it. He’d heard a lot of things over the years in regards to his feelings for Marinette. Words like _whipped, simp, nice guy, second choice, backup boyfriend, desperate_ , _creepy_ , _settling_ . Luka has never particularly cared, though he wondered at their blindness. For one thing, he had never been _waiting_ for Marinette. It wasn’t that he thought that if he just waited long enough she would see him. She’d always seen him, and if she found him lacking in some way he could hardly blame her. He just wanted to see her happy, he wanted to see her shine.

Because to him, it was abundantly clear that Marinette was unlike anyone else. Luka knew it as soon as they met, though he hadn’t fully understood it at first. He’d just felt it, in his gut, all the way down to his bones, that he’d never met anyone like her. Luka had pondered that first meeting for years, trying to put his finger on why he was so certain about her, but he never could nail down just what had so floored him about her. 

Now, of course, he had plenty of reasons why he loved her so fiercely. _Extraordinary_ was maybe an old-fashioned word, but it was the one he always came back to, the best word he’d found to fit her. Marinette was just _more_ . More determined, more creative, more generous, more kind, more committed, more brave, more _alive_ , just... _more_ in everything she did, and Luka, despite having no shortage of larger-than-life personalities in his life, had been hopelessly captivated by her from the start. He wondered how much _more_ she could possibly be, what she could accomplish if she grew out of her fear and her awkwardness and learned to balance being _more_ with being human. He hadn’t been waiting for her, he just...wanted to be there to see it, and maybe be a small part of it if she’d let him. 

Luka looked over his shoulder, scanning the wake, and stood up for a moment to look at the bow. He glanced at Marinette, happily knitting away and mouthing the words to one of his songs as she bobbed her head slightly. He grinned and sat back down. 

There’d been a time where this had all seemed so far out of his reach that there’d been nothing to do but resign himself and mourn what could have been, if he himself had been just a little bit _more_. Still, he wanted to be a part of that journey, even if just a tiny one. Even if it just meant being one of the hands that lifted her up in her weak moments, or a sympathetic listener. 

But they were here and she was his, as much as she could be anybody’s, and she loved him with all the _more_ in her being, and it was more than he’d ever had any right to hope for. Even now, though they’d been together for years, he sometimes experienced a sensation not unlike when he reset Second Chance, that one dizzying moment before reality snapped back into place. 

Well, if he’d fallen into some alternate dimension or timeline or whatever, that was fine with him. He just hoped Sass would leave him here. 

Luka turned his head and scanned behind them again, and finally spotted what he’d been hoping for. 

“Marinette,” he called, pitching his voice to carry over the wind and the music, and she looked up, taking her earbuds out. Luka jerked his head to the back of the boat, and she craned her neck to look, frowning. Luka was watching her face, so he didn’t see what happened, but he knew the instant one of those grey bodies he’d spotted cleared the water from the dazzling smile that crossed Marinette’s face. 

“Dolphins!” she cried, looking back at him excitedly, getting up on her knees for a better view of the sleek animals leaping and zipping along in their wake. She made her way excitedly to the back of the cockpit, leaning on the back of the boat next to Luka as she bounced on the balls of her feet. 

Luka lived for the days when he could put that look on her face, when he could share something new and wonderful with her and see her light up with pleasure and surprise. Marinette had dealt with so much of the magical, the supernatural, the _miraculous_ , and it always came with burdens and responsibilities and worries. Luka wanted her to experience mundane, everyday miracles that made life beautiful and precious, so that she would always have an anchor for those times when the _miraculous_ threatened to overwhelm her. 

She giggled like a child, racing from one side of the boat to another for a better look. Luka had to stop her from going up on the foredeck when the pod decided to pass them, sending her down in the cabin instead to look through the water-level windows there. When she returned, her eyes were shining, and Luka grinned. 

She went straight to him and threw her arms around him, laughing as she hugged him. Luka guided her over to perch sideways between his legs, and steered the boat one-handed while they snuggled. “Thank you,” she said, nuzzling her nose against his, and Luka kissed her lightly. 

“I didn’t exactly summon them,” he teased, and she giggled, cuddling against his neck. “I was hoping we’d get lucky, though. Maybe you should thank Tikki.” 

“I will,” she told him loftily, sitting up to look at him. “But I can still thank you too, for bringing me out here.” 

He didn’t say anything, but the look he gave her was worth more than words, and Marinette had to kiss him. Luka leaned into it, and they didn’t separate until the boat lurched. “We’re falling off the wind,” Luka laughed against her lips. “Come on, up. Plenty of time for that later.” 

Marinette relented, allowing him to evict her from his lap so he could get to the main sheet and “tack into the wind,” whatever that meant. 

Marinette was in too good of a mood to mind her snuggle partner (much). She went back to the bench and sat up on her knees, looking out over the water for a moment, before settling back to her knitting. She should have known better, she scolded herself. She should have known whatever Luka planned would be wonderful. It was beautiful out here, she loved the salt smell of the ocean, and knowing her frenetic nature, Luka had packed plenty of things for her to do. Maybe she’d go get her sketchbook in a few minutes. There was a little too much motion in the boat for real sketching, but she could journal, and jot down thoughts, impressions, and ideas to flesh out later. 

Luka himself seemed perfectly content just enjoying the moment, directing the boat and watching her putter about with that soft look on his face that was hers alone. 

Marinette gasped when she saw the little atoll that Luka had promised. The island _was_ small, and pretty in its way but too rocky to be appealing for walking or picnicking. The little bay in its crescent was a gorgeous shade of blue, though, and once they were anchored, Luka opened the swim deck at the back of the boat so they could plunge into the clear blue water. The water was warm, and the exertion felt good to Marinette after sitting on the small boat all morning and most of the afternoon. Luka had been doing a lot more work sailing the boat, so it wasn’t long before he hauled himself out of the water and sat on the deck, watching Marinette play with a satisfied smile. When she was finally tired out, she joined him, and nearly tackled him to the boat floor as she kissed him enthusiastically. 

“I love you,” she told him as he grinned up at her with that utterly stupid, lovestruck grin that she never got tired of seeing on him. “Thank you for bringing me. I’m sorry I was such a stick in the mud this morning.” 

“It makes it all worth it when you tell me I’m right,” he said, pinching her side, and she giggled. 

“You were right,” she said decisively, with a little nod to complete the statement, and Luka laughed. 

“Music to my ears,” he teased. “But the deck is killing my back and you’re going to be freezing in a minute.” 

Marinette got off of him and let him get to his feet, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. He was right though, the wind chilled her wet skin anywhere he wasn’t touching, and she was shivering from more than his kisses when he let her go. 

“Let’s get cleaned up and dried off,” he suggested, grabbing a towel from a bin along the side of the boat and wrapping it around her. “I could use a real meal, to be honest.” 

There wasn’t room in the boat’s tiny shower for them to clean up together, so Luka went first, and by the time Marinette had rinsed the salt from her skin, changed into a fresh bikini, and put her shorts and tank top back on over it, Luka had food ready for them, cooked on that funny little two-burner stove. He smiled sheepishly at her when she complained that he’d started without her, but she only teased him a little since she knew he had to be hungry after their meager brunch. They took the part of their dinner that Luka _hadn’t_ already eaten back up on deck and ate, reclining together on one of the benches, enjoying the view of their tiny island and glad to be close. 

The sun was setting as they finished. Marinette got up and went to the back of the boat, leaning on the rail to look at the uninterrupted ocean stretching out beyond their little anchorage. Luka came up behind her, putting his hands on the rail on either side of her, and she shifted to lean back against him. She hummed in contentment as he put his arms around her waist and began to ghost soft kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

“It’s so big,” she said, looking at the vast expanse of blue stretched all around them. 

Luka coughed, his ears turning red as he tried to contain laughter, and Marinette twisted around to smack him. 

“Dirty,” she huffed, turning back to the view with her nose in the air. 

“You said it,” Luka laughed, raising his hands defensively. “More than once, as I recall.” 

“I’m going to shove you overboard,” she grumbled. “Besides, you're my husband. I’m allowed to... _appreciate_.” 

Luka hummed agreement, slipping his arms back around her and drawing her against him again. “Allowed and encouraged.” He lifted her hand, and kissed her palm, and then the inside of her wrist, and then her shoulder, and back up her neck again, soft and slow and deliberate. 

Marinette bit her lip and resisted as long as she could, watching the sunset colors grow deeper in the sky, but finally she turned her head, pulling her hand free to reach up behind his head and pull him down into a real kiss, parting her lips invitingly. He accepted the invitation with a low groan, the arm around her waist tightening. She smiled into the kiss, trailing her fingers down his neck, grazing him with her fingernails ever so lightly and delighting in his shiver. He broke the kiss and turned her towards him, and she put her arms around his neck as they kissed again. He resumed his attentions to her neck with open, hungry kisses this time. She trailed her nails down his neck again and down along his spine, drawing another shudder from him. He was always so responsive to her touch and—she hummed in his ear, and giggled softly at his answering moan. It had surprised her at first, how susceptible he was to her voice, and later she laughed at her own stupidity, because it was _Luka_ and she should have expected it. She loved the way his eyes darkened with every little sound of pleasure she made, and the way she could moan just so and bring his hands to her body without fail. 

And oh, she thought, as his hands slipped under her shirt, brushing her bare stomach deliberately before lifting it off her, how she loved his hands. She stumbled, the rock of the boat and sudden weakness in her knees combining to throw her off balance. Luka’s hand shifted at once to grab her and steady her, helping her lean back against the boat for stability but his mouth continued its path without interruption, tracing along her collarbone before dipping lower.

Distracted as she was, Marinette didn’t register the tugs on the strings of her swim top until Luka was pulling it away and dropping it to the deck behind him, sinking to his knees as he did so. She gasped as the cool air hit her flesh, and then yelped as Luka’s warm mouth and one rough hand covered it. 

“Luka, we’re—” she started to scold, and then stopped, the hands she’d automatically lifted to cover herself sinking into his hair instead.

“What?” he grinned against her skin, not even bothering to look up as he laid a soft, reverent kiss on a dark mark he’d left the day before. “Totally, completely, could not possibly be more alone? It’s almost like I planned this or something.” He nipped at her playfully, making her gasp. “No parents or siblings or even neighbors for miles and miles.” He laid some light kisses against her and then he did look up, a wicked grin curling his face as he rested his chin between her breasts. “I can’t wait to hear what you sound like when you don’t have to hold back.” His hands dropped to her thighs and rubbed gently just below the hem of her shorts. “But we can go below if you’d rather. It is a little cramped up here, and the bed is right there.” 

He kept eye contact with her as he turned his head slightly and his tongue flicked out, and Marinette moaned, tugging at his hair. “In a minute,” she decided breathlessly, and Luka chuckled, sitting back on his heels to kiss the soft skin of her belly as he unfastened her shorts and pushed them down her hips, while she dropped her own hands from his hair to shove his open shirt off his strong shoulders.

* * *

Marinette woke to the feel of her husband’s lips on her neck and scrunched her shoulder, not sure she wanted to wake up just now even for him. Their berth belowdecks was warm and comfortable and she saw no reason to leave it.

Luka apparently felt otherwise. “Marinette,” he said, softly, but firmly, and she opened her eyes and frowned. 

“It’s still dark,” she muttered.

Luka chuckled. “Yeah. There’s something I wanted to show you. Come on, get up. Please?”

Marinette grumbled, but dragged herself out of the bed, blinking sleepily. “Come on,” Luka said, holding out a pair of pants for her to step into. “You’ll wake up when you get up on deck, trust me.” 

“I do trust you,” Marinette muttered, putting her arms around his neck to steady herself as she stepped into the pants. “Isn’t it too hot for this?” she asked as Luka slid the sweatpants up over her hips.

“Not on deck at night,” Luka assured her. He was wearing sweatpants and long sleeves as well, she saw as he picked up a shirt for her. “Arms.” She lifted her arms obediently, smiling a little as she let Luka dress her. The sweatshirt was one of his, of course, too big for her, but comfortable and welcoming. 

“Are you planning on pushing me overboard?” she teased when he held up a lifejacket and insisted she put it on. 

“If you go overboard, do you really think it’s likely to be because I pushed you?” Luka teased back, and Marinette gasped in offended outrage. 

“You didn’t make me put one on before!” she pointed out, crossing her arms.

“Strictly speaking, we should have, but it was daylight, and I was there to catch you,” Luka reminded her. “Now it’s dark, and what we’re about to do isn’t exactly recommended in the safety manuals.”

Marinette lifted her eyebrows, and let Luka put the lifejacket on her and snap the buckles. “Oooh,” she teased. “Tossing out the manual? I feel like real Couffaine now.” 

Luka caught her face and kissed her so passionately that she was beginning to wonder if they were going to make it back above deck after all when he finally let her go. Both of them gasped for air. “I love it when you say things like that,” Luka growled, and then he took her hand and twined his fingers through hers, tugging her along and up the stairs with him. When he led her onto the foredeck, she raised her eyebrows.

“You jump, I jump?” she asked, as they picked their way to the bow, and Luka chuckled, his hold on her hand tight and sure.

“Always, but that’s not why we’re here. No jumping tonight, lifejacket or not.” 

He must have been awake for some time before he roused her, because he’d managed to clear enough space on the cramped foredeck to lay a pallet of blankets out. Luka held her hand tightly as he walked her cautiously out to it and told her to lay down and close her eyes. “Don’t move before I get back,” he warned. 

Marinette lowered herself onto the blankets, wiggled a bit to get comfortable, and then closed her eyes and waited. 

It felt like a long time before Luka returned, but then he was settling down beside her, nudging her so that she raised up enough to let him put his arm around her and cuddle her to his side. The lifejacket was annoying, and Luka wasn’t wearing one ( _hypocrite_ , she thought with some amusement and a little worry). There was a faint click, and then Luka’s quiet voice telling her to open her eyes. 

Marinette opened her eyes, and then for a moment wondered whether she really had. Luka had turned off all the lights on the boat and it was pitch black.

No, she realized as she stared upward. Not black. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the grey shadow of the foremast with its furled sail above her, and beyond that— 

“This is what I really wanted you to see when I rented the boat,” Luka murmured. “Paris is beautiful, but—” A shadow passed in her vision as he waved his hand towards the sky. “Nothing beats that.” 

“It’s amazing,” Marinette breathed, blinking up at a sky so soaked with stars that it almost looked fake. Luka moved closer to her and for a moment they fumbled in the dark, until she was pressed against his side with her head pillowed on his shoulder, and his arm wrapped around hers. For a while, they lay in silence, watching the sky as the boat rocked in the gentle cradle of the sea.

“It’s not always like this,” Luka said in that same hushed voice. “The water. The sky, even. We’re lucky we got such good weather and such a clear night. But when it is like this...” He sighed, and she felt him shake his head slowly. “There’s nothing like it. It’s almost the only time I feel at peace without music. Like there’s nothing I could play that could make this better.”

Marinette hummed understanding, though not agreement. She was sure that Luka could find the right sound for this moment if he wanted to. But if he was content with just this, just the sound of the waves and the creak of the boat, the flap of the sails and their own sighs, then she wouldn’t disturb him by asking for more. 

His arm shifted under her and his hand found her hair, fingers sliding slowly through the strands. Marinette turned slightly and pressed her face into his neck, breathing deeply the scent of sea and sweat and sunscreen, before pressing a kiss there and relaxing back again to lose herself in the swirl of stars above them. 

If someone had told her, ten years ago, that she would end up here...that she would end up with Luka...she wasn’t sure how she would have felt about it.

Marinette actually tried not to think of that time too much, the time before Hawkmoth’s defeat, when she was small and young and frightened, shoulders burdened with responsibility when really, just navigating puberty and growing up and young love was more than enough to challenge the spirit of anyone. It wasn’t all bad. There were good moments, moments of triumph, of camaraderie and companionship. Moments of hope and faith in herself and her friends. 

It’s just that there was a lot of other stuff too. Moments, often more than just moments, of frustration, humiliation, despair. Of loneliness, and sadness, and hopelessness. Times when she felt completely, utterly alone, totally spent, and absolutely uncared for.

Moments where Luka’s gentle hands on her shoulders, or smoothing across her back, were the only thing that made it feel possible for her to get up and go on. 

Maybe that wasn’t true. Maybe she would have gotten up and gone on without him. But thankfully, she’d never had to find out. Luka was always there. When she had fallen, when she had broken, when it felt like she would never be more than a barely-adequate Ladybug and a half-assed Guardian. On the days when Chat’s blind faith and eternal optimism just felt like another burden she had to carry. Luka was there, as solid and warm as he was now. Gentle, but strong, supportive but unassuming, unquestioning and also unwavering. Just...Luka. Even when she had nothing to give. 

Back then, even with all her starry-eyed fantasies about destiny and true love, Marinette had found it difficult to believe a love that pure existed in the world. She accepted his help, his comfort, because she couldn’t bear to be without it, but she hardly dared believe in it. It was a weakness, an indulgence, the one tiny bit of selfishness she felt entitled to. 

But then he looked at her with those eyes, soft and intense, and he spoke so honestly and simply, saying only enough to buoy her up, and only when she needed it most. Little glimpses of his heart that he gave her before he hid it away again for his protection and her comfort. 

It wasn’t something she had ever expected to be able to keep. She meant only to cling to it as long as she could, and then to stand on her own again when it was finally taken away—when he moved on, or got tired of waiting for her, or when she finally had to tell him that she couldn’t love him like he wanted. 

Fortunately for her, Luka Couffaine was full of surprises. It was one of her favorite things about him, the spontaneity he brought to her life. Some of her best memories began with his voice saying, “then let’s do it.” Like it was that simple. Like you could just do a thing without planning and preparing and considering every possible consequence.

It was during one of those times where Luka had disrupted her entire way of thinking with a simple _come on, Marinette, sure we can, let’s just do it right now_ , that she realized that, when she let go of the future, when she stopped overthinking things, when she stopped fixating on the _plan_ she had for her life, when she let herself just _be_ , the way Luka always let her just be...that she _could_ love him. That she _did_ love him. That she wanted all the things that he wanted to give to her. 

That she wanted to kiss him. 

_Then just do it, Marinette._

She smiled at the memory. They were both so stupid. So young and stupid and ridiculously self-sacrificing. Marinette wanted to groan and hide her face as she considered the both of them; him, starry-eyed and stupidly loyal, prepared to play the romantic hero and die a noble death for her sake, and she, believing herself miserably entangled in the threads of destiny, without hope or escape, as if she didn’t cut and stitch together threads every day. 

Sometimes it seemed nothing short of a miracle equal to the beauty stretched above them that things had worked out so well. 

Marinette wondered what her younger self would have said. If she could take the rabbit miraculous, or merely close her eyes and wish on one of the countless stars, and go back and tell herself that there would come a day when those sharp, painful, shattered days of exquisite but agonizing feeling would be only a memory, and one that she would look back on with more embarrassment than anything else. 

“You okay?” Luka murmured softly, nudging her temple with his nose and then kissing it softly. 

Marinette smiled ruefully and made a contemplative noise. “Just thinking.” 

Luka didn’t move, waiting for her to go on. “I wouldn’t change anything,” she said softly, and then winced. “Well. Maybe a few things. But only if I knew for sure I would still end up here in this moment with you. I wouldn’t trade this for any of those things I thought I wanted. Before.” She knew that he knew what she meant, because his arm tightened around her and his face pressed into her hair. “I do wish I could tell my old self that it gets better,” she murmured, squirming closer to him. “I wish I could tell my old self that the bad times don’t last forever.” She smiled faintly. “I’m not sure I would have believed me though.”

In the dark she couldn’t see anything but his silhouette against the stars as he rolled up on one elbow, but she didn’t need to see his face to know how he was looking at her, that look that managed to be soft and adoring and yet intense enough to make her breath catch every time, even though they’d been together for years now. She felt his familiar calloused hand find her face and cup her cheek, and he leaned down for a kiss as soft and sweet as their first.

“You made it even not knowing,” he murmured, stroking her cheek gently. “You’re so strong.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, finally able to admit that after all these years. “I am. But it was nice to know there were times when I didn’t have to be.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Much love and thanks to the many people who encouraged me while I was writing this fic. This was originally one of several ideas I was kicking around for the Lukanette Exchange. The prompt was "happy Marinette" and it immediately brought to mind Luka surprising her with something, but once I got into it, I ended up setting it aside so that I could do it right without worrying about rules and deadlines. It ended up going through a lot of different iterations to get here, and it's maybe a little more self-indulgent fluff than what I originally intended, but I think I still acct I wanted, which was a peek at what comes after the hard times.


End file.
